Rain gear advice

[challey]

Last weekend (24 - 25 June) was the annual "Thunder in the Valley" event in Johnstown, PA. The organizers estimated that there were 100,000 bikes there; my estimate is that 99,000 of then were American V-twins. The exhaust din from many of these bikes was deafening and I don't think I've ever seen so many tattoos and do-rags in one location. It was a very interesting event from a variety of perspectives.
Anyway, as anyone on the East coast knows, the weather has been atrocious this summer and it was particularly bad that weekend. We managed to avoid the wet getting to Johnstown on Friday but the ride home to the Philadelphia area on Sunday was essentially 4+ hours of heavy rain and sometimes dense fog. As I made my way back on the PA Turnpike past literally hundreds of Harley riders, many with no raingear and others with no helmets or any face/eye protection, I was as grateful for my full face helmet and wet weather gear as I was for the Roadster's excellent manners in the rain. The one minor gripe I have is that after about 90 minutes in a hellish downpour, the crotch seams on my 12 year old Dry Riders gave way and I rode the rest of the way feeling like I had a used Depends strapped in place.
Obviously, I need to replace some raingear and I'm looking for some suggestions. The PVC type (which my rain pants were) can be had quite cheaply and I know from experience that they are pretty waterproof - at least before their 12th birthday. They are also hot and hard to put on. A number of manufacturers offer coated nylon for a few dollars more. Are these worth the extra cost? What benefits do they offer over the PVC type?
Any suggestions gratefully appreciated.
Charlie

[scottybooj]

I have a set of FirstGear HT overpants which are waterproof. They are quite breathable until 75 degrees or so. Then they're hotter. But they are probably more comfy than the pvc's regardless.

I also have the FirstGear rain gear (pvc) and they are quite warm. I only use those if I travel without other gear and just throw them in the bag for surprise downpours.

[Biff's R]

You could always try Frogg Toggs. I used them before I bought my HT Overpants. They were good, but I decided that I did not want to stop to put rain gear on, and I could use the extra storage.

[new2BMW]

A few things.

I have a pair of Firstgear HT overpants and simply love them. However, after four years of Tokyo commuting, they are finally leaking in the crotch. Once they started leaking, they leaked a lot.

The good.
True riding pants with knee and hip armor.
Comfy in temperatures below 85 degrees F (30 C).
Nice warm liner for cold weather.
Very easy to get in and out of due to full length zippers.

The bad.
Just less than four years and they are worthless in the rain. I suppose I could spray them with plastic tent spray, but it wouldn't last long.

I bought a pair of Joe Rocket Ballistic 5.0 pants to replace them. No opinion yet as they haven't arrived. (I was soaked yesterday when I got home. My HT pants are officially retired.)

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Jackets. I made the mistake of trusting the rain liner in a vented Joe Rocket jacket. Yes, it is waterproof, but it is also short and water will run straight into your pants.

There are lots of options, but you'll have to decide if you want a riding jacket that is also waterproof like the Firstgear Kilamanjaro or a dedicated rain jacket that you can wear over your daily jacket..

I prefer the dedicated rain jacket that I can carry in my backpack or tankbag. Waterproff riding jackets tend to be too hot in summer months.

I bought this two piece suit on eBay. It works great. I bought a larger size to fit over my normal riding gear.

The material breathes enough to prevent the sauna affect that PVC products cause.

I don't wear the pants because I hate to take my boots off to put my rain pants on.

This is a great price for a very functional product.



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0002622979

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The best waterproff gear that I have is a RevIt "Titan" one piece suit. It is 100% waterproof. You will never get wet wearing this suit, but I have to take my size 13 boots off to get it on. It is also a hot sumbich. However, there is nothing better for long haul rain riding.

http://www.revit.net

http://www.revit.nl/image/resize.php?fi ... &width=450